Married to the Billionaire Who Betrayed Me novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54 Making the Fake Fiancée Tremble

“If you break that seal, Dominic, you aren’t just losing a client-you’re losing your legacy.”

Dominic Kensington froze.

“You’re terminating the contract?” I asked. My voice remained steady, flat, devoid of the panic he craved. I sat behind my desk, hands folded over the dark, sensible fabric of my maternity dress. “That’s a bold choice, Dominic, Especially considering the audit

trail I’ve been building for the last three weeks.”

Dominic dropped the folder onto the desk. It landed with a dull, aggressive slap. “I do not care about your threats, Minerva. The Whitmore investment group contacted my board of directors this morning. They issued an ultimatum. If I produce one more bottle/ for Aegis, they call my loans due. They liquidate my credit lines by Monday. You are radioactive. I am protecting my livelihood.”

I did not reach for the folder. I did not look at the contract. I looked at him.

“You aren’t protecting your livelihood,” I said. “You’re selling it for scraps.”

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with, Dominic snapped. He grabbed the back of the guest chair and gripped it until his knuckles turned white. “You think you’re the only one who can run a supply chain? The Johnston Group can squash you like a bug. They can buy your suppliers. They can buy your distributors. They can buy the concrete under your feet. You are a ghost, Minerva. Stop pretending you have a future.”

“I don’t need a future,” I replied. “I need the inventory.”

“Then find someone else.” He turned toward the door, his chest heaving with exertion. “Good luck finding a foundry in this economy that will touch a Johnston scandal for less than triple the cost.”

“I already have,” I stated.

The movement of his hand on the door handle stopped. He turned back. “Excuse me?”

“I signed a new agreement with Leonardo Alvarez at dawn,” I said. I pulled a document from my drawer and pushed it across the desk. It wasn’t the contract; it was the shipping confirmation. “He produces glass for medical laboratories. He cares about purity, not corporate alliances. He does not fear the Whitmore investment group. He despises them. The first shipment arrives on Friday.”

Dominic stared at the paper. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“You’re bluffing,” he whispered.

“I’m done with bluffs, Dominic.” I picked up my phone. I suggest you leave before I decide to mention the specific kickback scheme you operated with Sienna Navarro in my next board report. Eduardo is a forgiving man. I am not.”

Dominic didn’t say a word. He didn’t look at the files. He turned and fled the office, the sound of his rapid footsteps fading into the

hum of the warehouse floor.

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Chapter 54 Making the Fake Fiancée Tremble

I left the office and navigated the concrete maze of the warehouse floor. I found Eduardo Valdez inspecting a forklift near the

loading bays. He leaned heavily on his wooden cane, his sharp eyes scanning the bustling crew.

“Dominic terminated the contract,” I said, stopping beside him.

Eduardo didn’t look up. I expected as much. The Whitmore influence is vast.”

“I signed with Leonardo Alvarez. The glass arrives on Friday.”

Eduardo turned. “You pushed him hard. You didn’t just replace the supplier; you humiliated him.”

He attempted to breach our agreement during a production spike,” I replied. “I afforded him the courtesy of a clean break. That is

more than he deserved.”

“And the capital? Eduardo asked. He tapped his cane against the concrete. “Tristan Johnston did not buy the shipping hub to sit idle. He intends to use it as a staging ground. He is moving assets into Port Sterling. His reach grows every day.”

“Let him grow,” I said. “Every asset he moves into this city is an asset he has to defend. The more surface area he covers, the more gaps he leaves in his armor. I am watching the gaps.”

Eduardo nodded. He turned his attention back to the floor. “Get some rest, Minerva. The summit invitation arrives today. We must

prepare.”

I walked back to my office.

My private cell phone vibrated on the desk. The screen displayed a blocked number. I picked it up.

“Minerva.

“Celeste,” I answered. I kept my tone flat, bored. “You must be terrified to call me yourself.”

“You are a pest, Celeste hissed. “You think a viral interview makes you untouchable? You think a few thousand cheap cosmetics orders turn you into an executive?”

“I think you spent your morning threatening a local manufacturer to stall my production,” I replied. “It is a desperate tactic, Celeste.

It shows your hand.”

“It shows my reach, Celeste countered. “I crushed your supply line. I will crush the next one. I will bribe your distributors. I will bury your subsidiary in frivolous lawsuits until Eduardo Valdez throws you back onto the street. Shut down the company, Minerva.

Disappear.”

I picked up a pen from my desk. I twirled it between my fingers. I pictured her standing in a luxury penthouse in the capital, pacing the floor, gripping her phone with white knuckles.

You assume Dominic Kensington was my only option,” I said. “I secured a new manufacturing contract three hours ago. An independent foundry outside your family’s financial grip. The Aegis restock ships on schedule.”

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Chapter 54 Making the Fake Fiancée Tremble

“I am still growing. You assumed you broke me at the gala. You thought a slap and a ruined dress would keep me in the gutter/But you made a crucial mistake. You underestimated my capacity to survive.” I continued

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